Cream Ale Low O.G.

[tomtom]

Sunday I brewed a NB cream Ale from an extract kit. I checked the OG after I put it into the fermenter jug and the OG was only around 1.032, and the recipe said it should be 1.040. I went ahead and put my airlock in and befoore I went to bed it was bubbling. Then on Monday morning I watered down 12 oz. of clover honey, boiled it, cooled it and added it to the fermenter. Well about an hour later I had to install a blow-off tube. It was goin' off gangbusters. I thought I had concocted the Chernobyl effect. I guess possibly I did not steep my grains enough, anyway I think it should turn out tasty.

 

[FlyingHorse]

Steeping grains wouldn't add 8 points of gravity, and it's virtually impossible to miss your OG on an extract batch unless you get the wrong volume in the fermenter and/or leave out some extract.

More likely is that the wort wasn't thoroughly mixed after you added your top-up water, and you got some of the more watery part...a common, oft-posted problem around here.

Your beer will be fine; the yeast will (or have, given your fermentation activity) find the sugar.

 

[tomtom]

I already had added about 1 1/2 gallons of water before I added the boiled wort, then I topped it off and shook the heck out of it for aeration before I took a reading. Anything's possible I assume. I think it will be fine though, especially since I added the honey. I just hope my FG doesn't get stuck at 1.020, my first two batches got stuck around 1.018 FG.

 

[mbrady64]

I already had added about 1 1/2 gallons of water before I added the boiled wort, then I topped it off and shook the heck out of it for aeration before I took a reading. Anything's possible I assume. I think it will be fine though, especially since I added the honey. I just hope my FG doesn't get stuck at 1.020, my first two batches got stuck around 1.018 FG.

Tomtom,

I think I brewed the same kit as you about three weeks ago. My og was 1.040 and my final ended up being around 1.010. Just thought I would let you know my figures.